Should RNs do housekeeping job or is it our job?

[Lenap]

:angryfire Wanted to ask if anyone experienced similar situation and how the issue was handled. 1st of all let me mention that I work for a huge hospital that is considered to be one of the top hospitals in the nation, but it seems like there are some holes in the system that no one seem to notice. The issue I have is with the hospital's housekeeping. It appears to me that they make up their own policies. Last weekend I had a really sick patient who had vomited approximately 2.5-3 liters of green bile emesis all over floor and his bed. I had never seen anything like that! He was the 1st patient I saw coming on my shift. I Helped pt get washed and called housekeeping. Well when housekeeping came they refused to clean the room. Making it very clear that they don't clean up messes like that-it's nurses job to clean. What they can do is wipe the floor when it's clean, so it will be disinfected. I spend at least an hour on my knees and used up almost half of our supply of pink pads and towels to dry everything up. It was only after pt had 2 more of episodes of projectile vomiting each approximately 1-2 liters of emesis that the MD gave me an ok to put in NGT. My point is having 8 very sick patients that night and spending all shift cleaning up messes and with no help from anyone else, should it be our job to clean up? I am not talking a little mess here-that takes few seconds to clean up, but a time consuming accidents. I had a similar episode maybe a year ago, when a pt had diarrhea and missed the toilet. The diarrhea explosion was all over the floor and bathtub. I was 9 mo pregnant at that time and was told I have to clean it up myself. I brought that up with management last time and was told its not housekeeping job, but ours. Also we don't have any cleaning supply on the floor and must use pt's bed linen like pink pads and towels to clean up. Anyone had similar situations? I don't think it's fair that other pts have to miss out on hours of care and get their meds hours late because their nurse is cleaning someone's room. Any input is welcome! Thank you.:imbar

[flashpoint]

Here, we clean up the bulk and housekeeping disinfects. We have to make sure that all visible blood, etc is gone before they clean up. They do the rooms, bed, and anything that stays in patient rooms, but the nurses do all of the equipment like IV poles and pumps and things like that. Their argument is that we are better trained at cleaning up things like emesis and that they are afraid of harming the equipment if they wipe it off with a cloth with disinfectant on it.

Our housekeepers are very good to us and they have a cleaning cart all prepared for the night shift...that way, we can mop or clean the carpet or polish the stainless steel on the bedside stands if we need to.

[flashpoint]

Here, we clean up the bulk and housekeeping disinfects. We have to make sure that all visible blood, etc is gone before they clean up. They do the rooms, bed, and anything that stays in patient rooms, but the nurses do all of the equipment like IV poles and pumps and things like that. Their argument is that we are better trained at cleaning up things like emesis and that they are afraid of harming the equipment if they wipe it off with a cloth with disinfectant on it.

Our housekeepers are very good to us and they have a cleaning cart all prepared for the night shift...that way, we can mop or clean the carpet or polish the stainless steel on the bedside stands if we need to.

[RN4NICU, LPN, LVN]

Their argument is that we are better trained at cleaning up things like emesis and that they are afraid of harming the equipment if they wipe it off with a cloth with disinfectant on it.

I think I'd sweetly offer to give them an inservice...

Would the equipment be less harmed if nurses wiped it off with a cloth with disinfectant on it? Must be that magic Nightingale touch...

Harda$$ed NICU nurse and PROUD OF IT!!!

[RN4NICU, LPN, LVN]

Their argument is that we are better trained at cleaning up things like emesis and that they are afraid of harming the equipment if they wipe it off with a cloth with disinfectant on it.

I think I'd sweetly offer to give them an inservice...

Would the equipment be less harmed if nurses wiped it off with a cloth with disinfectant on it? Must be that magic Nightingale touch...

Harda$$ed NICU nurse and PROUD OF IT!!!

[susanna]

What a good thread. This site becomes more and more useful for me every day. Like, no nursing director would tell me that it would be in my expected job duties to do most of the heavy duty cleaning in patient rooms every day. Its really good to know this stuff before you start a career in this field.

Thanks guys.

[susanna]

What a good thread. This site becomes more and more useful for me every day. Like, no nursing director would tell me that it would be in my expected job duties to do most of the heavy duty cleaning in patient rooms every day. Its really good to know this stuff before you start a career in this field.

Thanks guys.

[Dixiedi]

A lot of large hospitals now have a housekeeping "division" that does hazardous waste clean up.

That not being the case where you work, and in my own hospital experience, it's the nurse who cleans up the bulk and housekeeping that comes in to put down the bleach and shine and nothing more.

Remember when they cleaned with Lysol, smelled so much cleaner.

[Dixiedi]

A lot of large hospitals now have a housekeeping "division" that does hazardous waste clean up.

That not being the case where you work, and in my own hospital experience, it's the nurse who cleans up the bulk and housekeeping that comes in to put down the bleach and shine and nothing more.

Remember when they cleaned with Lysol, smelled so much cleaner.

[Gator,SN]

Most of the time when we have a messy situation its the nurses who get in there to take care of it and thats because the first priority is the patient and getting them cleaned up and comfortable, getting the mess off the floor is second nature to me because of safety reasons.

[Gator,SN]

Most of the time when we have a messy situation its the nurses who get in there to take care of it and thats because the first priority is the patient and getting them cleaned up and comfortable, getting the mess off the floor is second nature to me because of safety reasons.

[mattsmom81]

One facility I recently worked at (didn't stay long) tried to tell me it was my job to do a terminal clean on a VRE room because they had a patient for that bed. Not only did I not have the time, I had no supplies for properly cleaning and disinfecting all parts of the room, curtains, etc. So much for infection control, they tried to bully me into it. If the hospital wants to admit after hours they need to have a housekeeper to properly clean and disinfect dirty rooms, IMO.

I'll clean up and empty bursting full trashbags and disinfect my worksurfaces, but I will NOT clean dirty rooms to prep for a new patient.

[mattsmom81]

One facility I recently worked at (didn't stay long) tried to tell me it was my job to do a terminal clean on a VRE room because they had a patient for that bed. Not only did I not have the time, I had no supplies for properly cleaning and disinfecting all parts of the room, curtains, etc. So much for infection control, they tried to bully me into it. If the hospital wants to admit after hours they need to have a housekeeper to properly clean and disinfect dirty rooms, IMO.

I'll clean up and empty bursting full trashbags and disinfect my worksurfaces, but I will NOT clean dirty rooms to prep for a new patient.